Hotkey in ArcGIS for Desktop to delete layer from Table of Contents?

That Missing Hotkey: Finally Zapping Layers in ArcGIS Desktop

Okay, GIS folks, let’s talk efficiency. We all know ArcGIS Desktop is powerful, but sometimes it feels like it’s stuck in the Stone Age when it comes to simple things. Take deleting layers from the Table of Contents, for example. You’d think there’d be a quick keyboard shortcut, right? Wrong!

Seriously, hit that ‘Delete’ key all you want; nothing happens. ‘Ctrl+X’? Nope. I even went digging through Esri’s official shortcut list, and nada. It’s enough to make you want to chuck your mouse across the room.

So, what can you do? Well, you’ve got a few options, none of which are exactly lightning-fast.

First, there’s the classic right-click. Find your layer in the Table of Contents, right-click, and select “Remove.” It works, but it’s clunky. Then, there’s the main menu route: ‘Edit > Remove’. Again, gets the job done, but who wants to go clicking through menus all day?

I even stumbled across this weird workaround on GIS StackExchange where someone figured out a way to kind of do it with the keyboard. But trust me, it’s not pretty. It involves a series of keystrokes that are more complicated than they need to be, and after you delete the layer, it throws your cursor back to the top of the Table of Contents. Talk about annoying!

Honestly, you have to wonder what Esri was thinking. Why no simple hotkey? Maybe they figured we wouldn’t be deleting layers that often? I don’t know, but it’s a head-scratcher.

Now, here’s a little glimmer of hope: ArcGIS Pro, Esri’s newer, shinier GIS software, actually gets this right. Hit the Delete key in the Contents pane, and boom, layer gone! It’s like they finally listened to our collective keyboard-shortcut-loving prayers.

I even tried to hack my way around this in Desktop. I went into Customize > Keyboard and tried to assign my own shortcut. The shortcut even showed up in the context menu, but guess what? It didn’t do a darn thing!

If you’re dealing with a ton of layers, you might want to explore Python scripting. A little arcpy.mapping.RemoveLayer magic can save you a lot of clicking. It’s a bit more advanced, but worth it if you’re facing a layer-deletion apocalypse.

So, yeah, ArcGIS Desktop is missing that simple delete hotkey. We’re stuck with right-clicking and menu-diving for now. But hey, at least ArcGIS Pro got it right. Maybe someday Desktop will catch up. In the meantime, happy GIS-ing, and may your layer deletions be swift (or at least, not too painful)!